Continuous Daylight item

[Biggus]

By the DMG guidelines it would cost 45,000GP, which considering an everburning torch only costs 110GP seems a bit steep. I'm planning to reduce the price (I'm the DM) but I'm not sure by how much. How would you price this item?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

An Everburning Torch uses Continual Flame (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/continualFlame.htm) at normal NPC spellcasting rates (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/goodsAndServices.htm#spell): 2nd level spell x minimum caster level 3rd x 10 gp = 60 gp, plus the 50 gp material component is 110 gp. It's a permanent-duration spell, if the item is ever in the area of a Dispel Magic it's a DC 14 to turn it back into a mundane torch.

Light and Darkness effects cancel or overpower each other based on spell level, which includes Heighten Spell. Standard NPC spellcasting fees for a Continual Flame that's Heightened to 9th level at a caster level of 20th (for a dispel DC of 35) would only be 1,850 gp. If the caster has even one level in Morninglord of Lathander (PGtF), the area of light that produces is doubled: 40-ft. radius of bright light, and 80-ft. radius of shadowy illumination. That automatically overpowers any darkness effect of 8th level and lower, and anywhere that overlaps with a 9th level darkness effect will cancel both and whatever natural light is in that area will persist. If you can find an NPC spellcaster who has Earth Spell (RoS), you can get that Heightened to 10th level for 2,050 gp, and not even a 9th level darkness effect can touch it.

Have that Heightened Continual Flame cast on your character's hair for added cool factor. They can wear a hat over it to hide the effect when it isn't needed, and it won't occupy one of their hands to carry it. Pathfinder added the idea of casting Continual Flame on a dull grey Ioun Stone that still orbits the owner but no longer has any magical benefit.

[Biggus]

Thank you, it needs to be Daylight specifically though, as the purpose of it in this case is to keep a Shadow Dragon at bay (they can gain total concealment in areas lit by torchlight or the equivalent, but not in the radius of a Daylight spell).

Funnily enough, my intuition was that somewhere around 2000GP felt right.

[Troacctid]

Shard of the sun (MIC 185) sheds a continuous heightened daylight (5th level) when held by a TN or good-aligned character. 3,500 gp.

If you want to get deluxe, Praesidium Luminata from Dragon Compendium sheds continuous daylight with invisibility purge and prayer effects tacked on to boot. It only functions for paladins, and it's 24,000 gp.

[sleepyphoenixx]

If you only need it for a single encounter there's absolutely no reason to buy a permanent item.
A Daylight Pellet (DotU, 150gp) creates Daylight for 10 rounds and is probably the cheapest option. There's also an item of the same name (Underdark, 750gp) that offers the full duration of daylight.

If you expect to need it for more than one encounter a Hand of Glory (DMG, 7200gp) allows casting Daylight 1/day.
There's also the Golden Chalice of Lathander (MoF, 29,500gp) or Sun Blade (DMG, 50335gp) if you want to spend more money.

You can also counter the shadow dragons concealment by other means, like blindsight, which is generally cheaper and more universally useful to get on an item if your build doesn't have native access to it.